French President Emmanuel Macron tasted defeat in European elections, but not disaster, and is set to continue pushing both his pro-EU agenda and a…
French President Emmanuel Macron tasted defeat in European elections, but not disaster, and is set to continue pushing both his pro-EU agenda and a re-alignment of parties in the EU parliament.
Macron’s Republic on the Move (LREM) party finished second behind the far-right National Rally of his arch-rival Marine Le Pen, but the two parties ended with less than 1.0 percentage point separating them — on 22.41 percent and 23.31 percent respectively.
The vote was seen as a test for Macron domestically after months of anti-government protests, while his credibility in Europe as a champion of deeper integration was also judged to be on the line.
« A disappointment, but not a defeat for the Elysee, » headlined Le Parisien newspaper on Monday, while an editorial in the Les Echos business daily said Macron’s party was « resisting well » two years after his election.
The 41-year-old’s priority will now be trying to increase his influence in the European parliament where LREM and its centrist allies will send 23 MEPs, the same number as Le Pen’s RN.
